I guess it is always a matter of apearance, I was told off by the staff of a swim school once when I was holding a long lens, taking pictures of my son, I was told that I was distracting the swimmers.....but a parent who was holding a PNS and going close to the pool or one holding a videocam is ok......maybe they did not lik e my face or something....irony is, with my long lens I was more discreet and further away from the swimmers....most of the time not quite visible to them from their pool view.